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Before Diana can jump out of the car, the black and gray devils with wings drop the goods and
scatter.

The geese recognize her dark blue Toyota Prius as it rolls up to the banks of the Scioto River,
and no grease-covered ketchup packet or scrap of bread is worth the wrath of Thorne, a 3-year-old
border collie.

Two times a day, Diana and her dog walk along the banks of the Scioto River, dodging goose
droppings and the occasional bicyclist, to bust up the gang of aggressive waterfowl.

They work for Goosebuster LLC, based in Centerville, which the city hired this summer for
$27,000 to minimize attacks and goose droppings. They patrol Genoa, North Bank, Bicentennial,
Alexander and Battelle parks.

“It’s an effort to keep the parks nice and safe for visitors,” said Terri Leist, spokeswoman for
the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks.

Yesterday the geese were feasting on a buffet of goodies left behind after Festival Latino near
Genoa Park when Diana pulled up with Thorne.

Thorne, who seems to have the life every dog wants, tests the limits of her leash as she runs
down the geese. Within minutes, they are gone. Diana, who does not want her last name used because
of previous threats from pro-goose activists, drops a remote-control boat into the water to chase
off the last few stragglers trying to wait her out in the river.

The geese never are harmed.

“The problem is people keep feeding the geese ... and when I ask them to stop, sometimes they
get hostile,” Diana said. “There is a group of homeless people that live under the (Broad Street)
bridge that are feeding them as well.”

The city has posted signs in all the parks to tell people not to feed the geese. The birds have
been most persistent in Genoa Park because they have quick and easy access to the river via
concrete stairs.

Besides the mess, geese can also be aggressive and have attacked visitors, especially when
goslings hatch in June and July. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources fielded more than 800
complaints related to goose attacks or problems last year.

ODNR officials said those numbers continue to rise and urge anyone with goose issues to file a “
goose conflict” report on the agency’s website.

Shiraz Mohammed, 42, of Columbus, was walking with his wife and children yesterday in Battelle
Riverfront Park. He said that he “can’t tolerate” goose waste and said the birds have charged at
his two children in the past.